Stay With Me
by SuperWhoLockness
Summary: Draco bumps into Harry at the Ministry while he's working and feels his life changing more quickly than he'd prefer. Not sharing the same prejudice as his family does anymore, he feels like through his night terrors and panic attacks, there's hope for the first time in a long time. * T for self-destructiveness, language, and violence* DRARRY
1. Survivors

**Title:**Stay With Me

**Summary:** Takes place several months after the war at Hogwarts. It was difficult for everyone, trying to get back to a "normal" life again after the war. Everyone was affected by it, some more than others.

_A bit AU for the fact it's Drarry and other things that may not have been in the books. Cell phones exist in this world, there's still some magic (if you stick with me) but most of it is mostly Muggle items and ways of doing things. If you see anything out of place, it was probably intentional for the sake of the plot._

**Also, I know it's probably a bit short but this is my first Drarry fic and wanted to sort of test the waters first. Please review :)**

* * *

Chapter One: Survivors

.o.o.

.o.

He could feel the Mark prickle on his forearm as he poured himself the cup of coffee that was required to make it to work in the morning. He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly.

_He's gone. He's dead. I've been free for seven months. Voldemort's not coming back. _

It was a mantra Draco Malfoy had to tell himself every morning since the war ended. He had to remind himself that the war was over, however, this proved difficult when he felt like he was still fighting a war with himself. It didn't matter that he had been on the wrong side in the fight; he was well aware of that the moment he had looked around at the all the bodies, some of them he wasn't too proud to say he had killed himself.

He took a sip of the warm coffee and looked out the window at the brightly colored leaves as they fell to the ground. It was mornings like this one that made him grateful he had chosen a flat steps away from Hogsmeade. The village reminded him of the better days at Hogwarts when he had been younger and naïve. Hogsmeade reminded him of buying his books and other school supplies, joking with his friends, seeing other people he never imagined he would feel anything for except for contempt. He realized now that he had taken those days for granted and wished now that he could go back.

There was no going back, though. Draco Malfoy, of all people, knew this better than anyone. He had made mistakes that still haunted him, made mistakes that had hurt others.

As he stood against the counters in the kitchen in the empty house, he was cruelly reminded of how alone he really was. Sure, he had had a few hopeful girlfriends after the war but they never lasted more than a few weeks to a couple months. They had been kind and sweet to him but that all had stopped when they found out about his night terrors that plagued him. It didn't really matter though in the end; Draco never felt much towards them besides friendship.

There was another feeling inside of him that didn't feel attracted to them physically. He longed for someone else always. He wanted someone who was just as broken as he was, someone who would understand the demons that afflicted him and wouldn't judge him harshly for his faults.

A knock at the door brought him out of these longing thoughts and he had to remind himself that there was still one person who still talked to him. He walked through the smallish living room towards the front door and opened it.

"Hello, Draco," a gentle voice greeted.

He stepped out of the way so she could enter, per their routine every so often.

"Narcissa, how are you faring?" It proved almost impossible to keep the coldness and resentment out of his voice.

She sighed tiredly as she entered his flat and walked into the kitchen to pour herself some coffee. "Draco, we've been through this. You need to address me as your mother."

Draco followed her into the kitchen and reached around her slender figure to grab his own coffee cup and held it in his hands. "That's funny, since you haven't actually properly acted like a mum to me in quite a long time…"

His mother looked at him with identical stormy grey eyes before she traced her fingers anxiously around the top of the cup. "You must be reasonable. You cannot hold me responsible for your father's actions these past years."

He very nearly laughed but took a sip of his coffee instead before shaking his head in disbelief. He let the coffee burn his throat before he set it down on the table.

"You… you protected him, Narcissa! You protected him from persecution from the Ministry after he killed half-bloods and promised his devotion and loyalty to Voldemort! I hold you entirely responsible."

She looked almost shamefully at her son for several moments before the shame suddenly disappeared and frustration and anger flashed on her features. "That was necessary, Draco! You know full well that if we did not show the Dark Lord our loyalty then we were useless to him! He would've killed us, Draco. Does that mean nothing to you?"

He sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose, already regretting inviting his mother inside. This discussion didn't happen often but when it did, it was as if someone had taken a match to a kerosene soaked rag; everything went up in instantaneous flames.

He took his mug and then dumped the remainder of his coffee into the sink before he turned to her. "Does it mean nothing to you that we fought on the same side as a serial murderer, _mother?_ He killed loads of innocent people and you're still standing up for him and father! What do you think that says about you?"

The storm raged in her eyes and she shook her head in what he knew was disgust. "You would shame your father if he were still alive to hear this, Draco."

He remained still but inside his own storm was building up. "But he's not, is he? I'm glad he's not too after all the pain he's caused me. I can't believe you're actually on his side, after everything he's done to you – "

Draco felt the sharp pain in his cheek now before he even heard the sound of her palm hitting his skin. He dared to look up now and saw a stray tear run down her face.

"_For _me, Draco… what your father's done _for _me. He had his bad moments but he provided for us! For me! I loved him. I loved him as I love you. How dare you speak that way against Lucius. I don't even know who you are anymore!" Narcissa quickly wiped away her tear with trembling hands and then sniffled.

He glanced up at the clock and then looked at her. "I don't have time for your melodrama, Narcissa. Just get out. I have to go to work."

She had started to shake her head now but the anger had disappeared. "This is something we need to talk about, son… you let me in which tells me that you want to discuss it too."

Draco ran a hand through his medium-length, nearly white hair. "I'm not going to stay here and listen to you argue about how wonderful a person my father was when you know damn well what he did to both of us! Get out!"

She stood there for several moments, staring at her son with sad eyes before she walked over to him and placed her hands over his cheeks and kissed his hair before then whispering, "I'm sorry you feel that way. Just remember that no matter what, I still love you, and I'll always love you, Draco."

He gently shook her off before she finally gave in and left his house, gently closing the door behind her. Draco was left alone again. He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding before he grabbed his briefcase that was on the table and shut the coffee pot off.

Apparating to the Ministry seemed to take longer than he cared for as his mind replayed the morning he had with his mother. He started walking upstairs towards his office in the newly renovated Department of Dark Magic, trying to put the morning's discussion out of his mind.

He briefly glanced down at his arm, making sure the shirt sleeve of his dark, button down shirt covered the Mark underneath. Draco was sure most everyone at the Ministry was aware of his association with Voldemort but he was even surer that the only people who knew about his Dark Mark were his mother, father, and other Death Eaters. Once the war was over, he made sure to keep it covered in the presence of those who didn't know it was there.

"Well well, Draco Malfoy. I was wondering when you would show up again."

The ex-Slytherin looked up from the floor tiles to see a familiar face that made his stomach churn uneasily. Self-inflicted injuries from his last bout of night terrors had caused him to miss a few days of work. This was his first day back in nearly a week.

"I was only gone a week, Blaise. Did you miss me already?" Draco managed a smirk but inside he just wanted Blaise Zabini to go away, back to his own office.

The fellow ex-Slytherin chuckled and gave Draco a welcoming hug. "So you've been hiding out here, eh? Has normal life bored you, then?"

Draco unlocked his office door and motioned for Blaise to follow him into the room and close the door. When he did so, only then did Draco reply back.

"I should ask the same of you. I haven't seen you since the war started. I was starting to think you didn't make it."

Blaise sat down across from Draco's desk and stretched out. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Malfoy. What the hell have you been up to these past several months? Have you taken over the positon as the next Dark Lord?"

Draco glanced up quickly and looked at Blaise warily. It made him uneasy how casual his ex-friend, as far as he was concerned, had asked that, as if he was hopeful about it. "No, Blaise. I'm… not taking over," he shook his head almost in disbelief.

The dark-skinned man just nodded and searched Draco's eyes. "All right then. I suppose I'll see you around, Malfoy." He had stood up and had started walking towards the door before he tapped on the wall before he looked back at him. "I guess times change, eh? Friends… drift apart, don't have the same interests anymore?"

Draco stared at him before he wet his lips and swallowed hard. "I suppose so. People change, but… but maybe that's not a bad thing, Blaise." He thought he saw a flash of anger in Zabini's eyes before he nodded once and left his office.

He ran his hands through his hair and felt his body relax, as if it had been tight during their brief conversation. It was apparent that Blaise Zabini hadn't entirely let go of that certain, prejudiced way of thinking. The two of them had grown apart, like roots from a tree. It wasn't long before Blaise had left when Draco heard another voice in the doorway.

"Umm… I-I'm sorry for interrupting but I… I need you to sign s-some papers," a timid voice requested.

He was surprised to see who the voice belonged to as he glanced up and saw _her. _Hermione Granger. It couldn't belong to her though. She had always been so confident and brave. Now she sounded almost fearful as she held the papers to her chest, never daring to meet Draco's eyes.

He straightened up, just watching her and feeling something sink in his stomach.

Curiosity. Pity. Sympathy.

Something wasn't right with her. Something really bad was going on, or had happened to her. He forced himself to shake the thought from his mind; no one was the same person they had been before the war. It had changed everyone in the worst way possible. Even she couldn't have been able to keep it together, no matter how brave she was.

"Yeah, of course. Just place them here, Granger," he replied in a gentle voice.

She obediently did so and stood patiently in front of his desk, reaching up and casually running her fingers over one of the picture frames he had on his desk. Draco saw her do this out of the corner of his eyes but didn't say anything until he had finished signing the Ministry papers.

"Here you go. Anything else you need?"

She seemed to hesitate before she quickly shook her head, still avoiding his eyes, and then scurried out of his office without another word. Draco watched her leave with an uneasiness settling in his chest. He chewed on his lower lip before he started to go back to reading and signing the papers that requested his authorization, needing to distract his mind.

He had gotten through the majority of his papers when he decided he needed a break. Draco stood up and made his way downstairs to the break room he shared with everyone else in his Department but somehow, there was never more than six people in the room at a time. He had hit the sweet spot where it was totally empty.

He poured himself a Styrofoam cup of coffee and had started to mix his cream and sugar in it when he heard footsteps enter the room and barely felt a hand reach past him to grab a cup and then again to grab the coffee pot. Draco felt eyes pierce into him and he was close enough to smell a musky, sandalwood smell of another male.

"Malfoy? Well I'll be damned. I heard the rumors but I didn't believe you worked here. Don't take this the wrong way but I didn't even know you had survived the war…"

_That voice. _He would know that voice anywhere.

"Barely," Draco admitted. "I'm still alive though. How's civilian life treating you, Potter?"

The raven-haired man chuckled now and shook his head before shrugging. "All right, I suppose. It's… it's definitely harder than it was before. I don't want to say boring, though."

Draco glanced over and watched him take a sip of his coffee before remembering he had his own cup in his hand. He cleared his throat and sighed softly, trying to be casual with his ex-arch enemy. This felt awkward to say the least.

"Really, because it's never a dull moment in my life."

Harry nodded as he listened, running a hand through his barely-tamed hair. "Well, at least there's still some excitement for you. Rumor had it that you were rotting in Azkaban. It's… nice to see you're making something of yourself, after everything, I mean."

Draco searched his face, looking for signs of sarcasm but only heard genuine kindness in his voice and saw it in his eyes. He nodded once, feeling heat reach his face now. "Thank you. It's nice to see you're doing well for yourself as well, Potter."

The two men searched his each other's eyes for a long time before Harry seemed to break out of the trance and took a distracted sip from his coffee. "Right, yeah. I'm… I'm doing fantastic. How's your… your family?"

He could tell that Harry was about to ask about his father but then had decided to make a point of asking about his mother too. Draco almost thought about spilling everything just then, about how his mother was sickeningly loyal to his father's cause and the abuse Lucius had laid on both of them for years, but then thought better of it. They weren't close friends or anything. Hell, Harry hadn't even known Draco was living a normal life until just now.

"My father's dead, but… Narcissa's fine. How about yourself? You start a family of your own yet?"

Harry seemed shocked at the news of Lucius's death but quickly got over it. He then paused for a while, as if he was thinking about what to say. "No, no family yet. You would think with the war being over, people would be eager to start families and… get on with life, you know?"

Draco saw the hesitance in Harry's voice and saw it on his face. Boy Wonder had never acted like this in front of him before, so vulnerable and cautious. Maybe the war had affected Harry Potter more than any of them.

He took a sip of his coffee and leaned against the marble counters before he nodded understandingly. "Yeah, you would think. I guess people are just… scared of the future, scared of the uncertainty of everything."

It was Harry's turn to nod now and the two of them were silent again, just living in each other's presence and taking the other one in. They drank their coffee together, but also alone, until they had drained their cups.

Harry looked up at him first and nodded his farewell first. "It's good to see you around again, Malfoy. Maybe we'll bump into each other again."

Draco threw his cup away. "Yeah, maybe."

_Hopefully. _

He didn't know what had made him think that but as he watched Harry walk away, he felt knots in his stomach. What even was it that he was feeling?

Or better yet, _why _was he feeling this way? Well, he knew the obvious reason why but the better, more accurate question was why was he feeling this way about Harry Potter? They had never been on good terms, and Draco had fought on the wrong side in the war.

_Get it together, Draco. Who even knows how he feels about you right now? He knows what side you fought on. If he's being decent to you, then he must want something._

Draco shook away his interaction with Boy Wonder and then dragged himself back up to his office to finish off the rest of his working hours.

.o.o.

.o.

When he finally got home from work, his chest felt tight with panic and anxiety. He walked into the kitchen and filled himself a glass of water and drained it quickly before he leaned against the counter and closed his eyes, trying to focus on his own labored breathing.

It would prove to be another rough night. This was how they usually started, feeling panic inside of him for no reason except –

Potter.

This was his fault. If he hadn't started talking to him, and ignored Draco in the break room, maybe he wouldn't be feeling this way right now. Then a part of him instantly pushed that thought away. He's felt this way before, even when he hadn't run into Harry.

He had talked very briefly about his father. It hadn't mattered that he had only told Harry that his father had died; just thinking of Lucius was enough to bring on the panic attacks and anxiety from within. He rubbed his eyes roughly, knowing he just had to ride this out.

He had no medication. No one else to help him calm down from this. He was alone. Always alone.

_1… 2…. 3… 4… 5…_

Draco continued to count until he reached seventy, and by that time, he felt the panic begin to lift. He waited a little bit, trying to control his breathing and once it evened out a bit, he walked up the stairs and into his bedroom.

Maybe he'd take a mental health day off tomorrow. As he pulled off his work clothes and remained in a pair of boxers, he climbed into bed and let his thoughts trail off.

He might see Harry again. But he had been working at the Ministry for several months already and hadn't seen Potter around until now… so why now? What had changed? He assumed that Harry had started working there around the same time as he did, when the war ended and things had gotten back to something they could vaguely call 'normal.'

Taking a day off would be good for him, so he kept telling himself. No Blaise… but it seemed liked seeing Blaise had only been the real bad thing that had happened to Draco today. Seeing Harry had made his heart flutter and something melt his hardened heart.

Maybe he wouldn't take tomorrow off after all.


	2. Fear of the Unknown

Thank you for your reviews. Sorry for the late update. Been super busy with school. 

* * *

Chapter Two: Fear of the Unknown

.o.o.

.o.

He barely slept at all. When he managed to close his eyes, he woke up almost abruptly from images of the war that constantly played on repeat in his head.

He finally got up around six a.m. and trudged into the bathroom to shower. He had stripped off his clothes when he noticed long, frantic scratches on both his forearms and cringed slightly. This wasn't new to him; this unintentional self-mutilation was happening to him since the war ended.

Draco quickly showered and wrapped the towel around his waist after drying himself before walking over to the sink and grabbing the disinfectant, as per his routine. The scratches were shallow and even though he knew he had unintentionally given himself them, he felt hollow inside. He was tired of barely sleeping, or when he did sleep, waking up alone. Draco didn't wish for anyone else to have to endure this or have his night terrors and injuries on their shoulders day in and day out but he wished for someone to support him, someone who cared about his well-being.

As he walked into the bedroom, he heard the doorbell and then a knock. He chewed his lower lip, already knowing who that was. The only person that it could be: his mother. Draco's heart felt heavy as he got dressed.

_Let her stay out there. She didn't deserve to talk to him after their spat yesterday. _

He wasn't that narrow-minded bigot he had been before the war. He couldn't be that kind of person anymore. Draco glanced at the clock. He had to get to work and he didn't have time to deal with Narcissa right now, nor did he want to even if he did have time.

He straightened his tie out and waited for more knocks but she had left. Breathing a sigh of relief, he quickly hurried out of his flat and apparated to the Ministry.

Draco walked down the corridor, occasionally nodding in acknowledgment at his fellow co-workers until he made it to his office and was surprised to see Harry sitting in the chair across from his desk. He walked inside and closed the door before making his way over to his chair.

"Potter? What brings you here?"

Harry didn't seem entirely calm but he also didn't appear too nervous either. He ran a hand through his dark hair. "Where are you living these days?"

Draco gave him a skeptical look as he shuffled papers around. "You came here to ask me where I'm living? Surely you have better things to do than ask me mundane questions like that."

The taller man half shrugged. "I was just curious. It occurs to me that I know jack shit about you besides the fact that I know you had the Dark Mark on you. I just wondered how you were able to get a job here when you were a Death Eater like your father. I know there's no way to get it off, at least none that's been discovered yet. The Ministry wouldn't let you work here, though."

Draco shifted uncomfortably now and swore he felt the Mark trickle under his skin. He could feel his heart race in his chest and echo in his ears. "He took it off, before you killed him. He came to the Manor and he took it off of me. I guess he decided that I wasn't worthy of being branded with it."

_Good. That was smooth, Draco._

Harry gave him a curious expression, his emerald green eyes scanning for any discernable sign of lying. He didn't look convinced, but he also wasn't smirking or trying to be a smart ass. That had to be a good sign at least. The ex-Gryffindor stood up and started towards Draco.

"Mind if I just double check, and make sure it's gone?"

Draco stood up but didn't waver but he could feel his palms become clammy.

_Why was Harry acting like this, so… fearful? He appeared scared of the possibility of seeing the Mark itself._

He bit his lip, wondering if he could trust this man. The two of them had matured greatly since their high school years and he knew for a fact that the war had left its own mark on nearly everyone who fought in it. Who was to say that it wasn't affecting Harry Potter as well? If anything, maybe it was affecting him more than everyone else.

As Harry reached out and grabbed his arm gently, Draco felt his breath hitch and he quickly took his arm back just as Harry had started to roll up his sleeve. Once he reacted this way, Harry took a step back and blinked and the two men stood in a stony silence for several moments.

"You… you still have it." It had been a statement more than a question.

Draco swallowed hard and he suddenly felt his insides twist uncomfortably. He could feel his own fear starting to build up now and he searched Harry's face cautiously. "P-Please don't report me."

He cursed himself instantly as soon as the words came out of his mouth. Draco sounded so pathetic. He sounded like a child again, and he never wanted to sound like that in front of anyone, especially The Chosen One.

Harry ran both his hands through his hair, almost in distress, and took a shaky breath. He searched Draco's stormy eyes. "Are you hearing the voices talking to you? Is anyone giving you orders or… are you still… like that?"

This felt so odd to talk about. Draco self-consciously glanced around the room to see if there were any cameras tucked into the ceiling or in the corners of the room. He saw two, but he could tell they didn't have any speakers built into them. He let out an audible breath of relief.

Draco turned his attention back to Harry, instantly shaking his head. "No. I swear… I'm not like that anymore. I… I fought on the wrong side in the war, I realize that now. I realized it while I was fighting and watching everyone falling and dying around me, Potter. I still have the Mark, but I'm not taking orders and I'm not hearing any voices telling me to hurt anyone."

Harry sighed and walked closer to him before he suddenly grabbed Draco's button down shirt and tie and pinned him hard against the wall, the two men so close to each other, they could almost taste the others' cologne.

"If I find out that's not true, Malfoy, I'll walk you into Azkaban personally. Do you understand? I'm not going through that shit again. I can't, I won't."

Draco was calm except for his racing heart, but he had a feeling that didn't have anything to do with Harry's threat. He still felt sick with himself though. He nodded quickly again. "I understand. Trust me, I don't want another war either. I'd get this damn thing off me if I could, I swear."

Harry searched his face and then slowly let go of him before he nodded. "All right." He paused for a bit before he looked at him with uncertainty. "Now that the war's over, I want to be able to trust you. I-I want to be friends… can I trust you?"

Draco wasn't sure why Harry was asking him this. They had never been close but once again, they had both matured and they were both already through a war together, even if they had been on opposing sides. He straightened his shirt out and chewed on his lower lip.

"Yes, you can."

"How? How can I believe you're trustworthy, especially after everything you've done, Malfoy?" Harry didn't sound like he was trying to be accusing; he sounded like he was just desperate and scared and looking for a friend.

Draco forced himself to keep his spine straight. "Maybe we should start by calling each other by our first names?"

This made Harry chuckle and suddenly, all the tension in the room had disappeared. "That sounds like a good idea… Draco. Anything else we can do to prove we can trust each other?"

Draco rubbed the back of his neck and wet his lips. "Well, I think me trusting you not to blow me into Azkaban is a big step. You have a lot on me right now, man. You could easily have me thrown into prison. My life's in your hands. You could easily threaten me with it any time I step out of line."

Harry nodded in agreement and then sighed, shaking his head. "I don't want have you thrown in prison when you haven't done anything to deserve it. Just… keep doing whatever you're doing, I guess. You don't have anything to worry about if you haven't hurt anyone."

He swallowed hard and then sat down at his desk again as Harry started towards the door. Draco glanced up when he turned around.

"Who else knows about this? Your Mark I mean?"

Draco ran his hand through his hair and thought for a moment. "Narcissa. You. The other Death Eaters. That's it, though."

Harry nodded slowly before he finally left Draco's office, leaving him alone in the room. Draco wasn't alone for five minutes before he noticed a figure scurry in. He continued signing the papers that were on his desk, expecting whoever had entered to speak their peace but was only met with silence.

Finally, he looked up and saw Hermione standing anxiously before his desk, his eyes cast downward. He looked at her almost worriedly. This had been the second time she had entered his office in two days looking this way. Did someone else know about his Dark Mark and then maybe told her about it? Maybe she was terrified of him.

Draco cleared his throat and then searched her face the best he could while her head was done, her eyes cast downward at the carpeted floor. "Are… you okay, Granger? I mean, has anyone said anything to you about… me, perhaps?"

Hermione shook her head slowly and then let out a shaky breath. Draco wasn't sure if he could believe her. Of course she wouldn't admit to hearing anything if the rumors, the true rumors on top of that, was him having the Dark Mark. He leaned back in his chair and suddenly noticed a small bruise near her temple.

Had that always been there? Had the bruise been there yesterday? Why was he only noticing it now? A sick realization suddenly rose up and his stomach twisted uncomfortably. He knew what bruises represented on a body and he didn't think she could manage to cause it to herself.

"Is… someone around here hurting you? Maybe… threatening you? Is that why you're acting this way?" He tried to keep the edge out of his voice, hoping she wouldn't think it was directed at her.

She glanced up at him quickly and then looked back down, just as quickly before she shook her head almost violently. Draco got his answer. Hermione didn't have to say anything to know what was going on. He knew this same fear after experiencing the painful, sleepless nights after his father hurt him as a child. He recognized the signs of abuse.

"I know we've had our differences, Granger, but… I'm not that same person I once was. You can trust me. If someone is hurting you, then you should tell me. I can help you."

Hermione suddenly spoke the first words he heard her say since the start of the war. "N-No one is hurting me! I don't need anyone's help, including _yours_!"

Her angry voice took him back with surprise. Almost at once, Hermione's chocolate brown eyes widened and she shrunk back.

"I'm… I'm s-sorry… I don't know what came over m-me…. I'm just… I s-should go. I'm sorry again…"

Draco stood up as Hermione made a hasty exit. He sighed, looking up at the ceiling as he ran his hands through his hair in stress.

_Who was hurting her? _

He had to find out. Whoever it was had to work here at the Ministry, probably to keep a possessive eye on her. Hermione wouldn't be behaving so terrified if he wasn't also watching her or pulling her aside to threaten her.

He stood up now and started out of his office, walked down the hallway and didn't stop until he got to the camera room. He waved his badge down the ready authorization slot before the door opened a bit to let him inside. Draco pushed it open the rest of the way before he moved over to the wall of cameras and scanned it, looking for Hermione.

She was still walking speedily towards the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office when Draco suddenly saw a man grab her arm almost too firmly for his comfort. He straightened up now and leaned closer to the screen, recognizing the dark figure almost immediately.

_Blaise Zabini._

He had to confront him, but in a way that wouldn't instantly put a target on his own back. Draco walked out of the surveillance room and headed to the floor where Hermione and Blaise both were. Once he saw the two of them standing too close to each other, he grabbed one of the floating folders nearby the office and pretended to skim through it with interest, his eyes shooting over the top of it at them occasionally.

Then he saw Hermione hand Blaise a paper and hurry past the taller man as if her heels were on fire.

Draco moved over to Blaise now and started to casually walk with him. "Man, I can't look at papers anymore. Want to join me for a coffee in the break room?"

Blaise glanced over at him and nodded once. "That's probably the best plan you've had so far today."

The two men walked in silence towards the break room until Draco finally forced himself to speak first. "Everything all right between you and Granger?"

Blaise glanced over at him with confusion laced in his eyes. "Eh?"

Draco rubbed the back of his neck before he craned it to the side to get the aching, anxious feeling out of it. He moved over to the coffee pot first so he didn't have to look at Blaise. "You two getting along all right? No animosity between the two of you or anything?"

He glanced back before grabbing another cup and pouring Blaise's coffee for him.

"Err… yeah, I suppose. Getting along as well as can be expected between a Mudblood and a Pureblood, if you know what I mean," Blaise ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh.

Draco didn't like this answer. It sounded dangerously hostile and wasn't giving him any relief. He turned around and handed Blaise his coffee, trying to look as casual as he could but was afraid his protectiveness was showing through his façade.

"You should just… leave her alone, if she's getting on your nerves or whatever. She's not worth hurting."

_Lies. Of course she was worth hurting. She was a human being who didn't deserve to be hurt in the first place._

Blaise took a sip of his coffee. "Oh what's this, then? Does Draco Malfoy have a crush on a Mudblood? I don't believe it. Has she said something to you that got your loins all hot and bothered?"

Draco sighed and shook his head. "Come off it, Blaise. We're not in school anymore. You can stop acting like an immature git at any time. Really."

"So why do you care so much about Granger? The Draco Malfoy I knew in school wouldn't have batted an eye at anything I just said about her. You're defensive. You have motives…" Blaise trailed off, as if he was trying to piece together some kind of logic in his mind.

Draco set his coffee down and clenched his jaw. He was done pretending he was on the bad side anymore. "I just care. She's an employee and her safety is my responsibility. Don't forget, Blaise; _you _work for _me_. I can fire you as fast as I hired you in this Department."

Blaise took another sip of his coffee and narrowed his eyes. "That sounds awfully like a threat, Malfoy."

Draco nodded and straightened up, not letting himself back down now. "Good, at least your hearing is top notch then. Leave Granger alone. Don't touch her. Don't talk to her unless it's work related."

Blaise chuckled dark now and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, mate – "

"Don't call me that, Blaise. I'm not your mate. I haven't been your friend for a very long time. Just leave her alone," Draco ordered, taking a few steps towards Blaise.

Blaise took an equal number of steps towards Draco and stopped when they were inches apart. "I don't care that you're my boss, Draco. You _do_ know that, right? You can't threaten me. It doesn't work between us. We're old friends… schoolmates. We have history! Anyway, I haven't… hurt Granger or whatever the hell it is you're accusing me of doing."

Draco scoffed and shook his head. "Don't lie to my face. I saw you two on the cameras! She was looking pretty damn terrified and you were just a little too close to her."

Blaise let out a deep-throated laugh and smirked. "Whatever, man. I needed some papers from her and have you ever tried to get her to look you in the eye? It's nearly impossible. Besides, I couldn't hear her in the hallway. She was nearly whispering, I had to get in close just to hear her! You can accuse me hurting her if it pleases you, Malfoy, but I'm telling you right now, I'm not, as much as I do dream of it."

Draco sighed to himself and searched Blaise's face for any signs of lying.

Damn. It seemed genuine. He knew that Blaise could lie like the best of them but being his ex-friend, Draco could tell he wasn't lying right in this moment.

He hadn't hurt Hermione.

But then who was?

Draco watched as Blaise finished his coffee and threw the Styrofoam cup into the garage on his way out. He ran a hand through his hair and relaxed again, taking a sip from his own barely drank cup of coffee. He was about to walk out when Harry nearly walked right into him, quickly sidestepping him to avoid spilling Draco's coffee on the two of them.

"Whoa! That was close…"

Draco chuckled and nodded before he turned around and looked back at Harry. He noticed how his dark hair was in disarray, and his green eyes looked tired but still shone brightly. He moved casually over to him and leaned against the counter as Harry grabbed a scone.

"What do you think about Blaise Zabini?"

"Sorry but I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, Malfoy. Do you mean as a person… or… are you offering to kill him to make a positive influence around the office?"

Draco swallowed back the laugh that was itching at his throat. He let the corners of his mouth lift up when Harry looked back at him with a look of amusement on his face. "As a person, I guess. I know how he was in school but… do you think he could be capable of hurting someone around here?"

Harry turned around and furrowed his eyebrows. "Why do you think he's hurting anyone? That's a pretty strong accusation. Not that I'm against the idea of getting him in trouble or anything…"

Draco leaned against the doorway, purposely blocking anyone from coming inside. "Well, I was passing the cameras and the door was open – "

"Of course it was."

Draco scoffed but couldn't help smiling. "Shut it… anyway, I saw on one of them Blaise with Granger and it looked like he was holding her arm or something and he was angry. He looked like he could've been hurting her. I just… wondered how well you knew him?"

Harry turned his back on Draco as he slowly made his coffee. "I've only seen him a few times in school, never since the war. I just imagine he's as messed up as the rest of us are. I don't mean to give him an excuse to hurt women but he probably has his own demons he wrestles with."

Draco chewed on his lower lip, unsure what to do with that kind of answer. "Well, yeah… whatever. He's messed up, but that doesn't give him the right to hurt any woman, including Granger. I just don't know if I should have him put in a different Department or fire him altogether or what, you know? By the way she's been acting when I've seen her and from the things that Zabini tells me, I have pretty strong reason to believe that he's hurting her, possibly seriously."

Harry kept his back turned but Draco saw it stiffen slightly. "How has she been acting?"

Draco shrugged and waved his hand, even though he knew Harry couldn't see him. "I don't know, man. Scared, I guess. Actually, terrified was more like it. She never looked me in the eye. I've seen other women act like this when they're being hurt by their boyfriends or whatever, and… it doesn't take a genius to see she's being hurt. She's not like she used to be."

"None of us are how we used to be, Malfoy. Lest you forget, we were all just through a war and we've all lost people we cared about…"

Harry's voice had taken on a dark quality and it made Draco feel almost uneasy. He swallowed hard and stared at Harry's back, curious why Harry had suddenly become defensive. This wasn't the same person he had talked to yesterday. Without realizing it, a tension had become heavy inside the room between them.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm well aware of loss and the effect the war had on everyone. I fought it in it too, lest _you_ forget. Just let me know if you hear or see anything, alright? I don't want her getting hurt on my watch," Draco replied a bit shortly as he turned to leave.

Harry's voice stopped him in his tracks though. "It sounds like you really care about her, Malfoy. Seems a bit unprofessional, don't you think?"

Draco placed his hand on the doorway and turned back to face Harry, a neutral expression on his face. "I don't think so at all, actually. I'd just rather not be held responsible for anything that might happen to her. I think of her as my employee, maybe even a friend, nothing more. Do… you feel something towards her? I know that you two were pretty close in school."

Harry smirked slightly but his eyes were almost cold and empty. "We were close, and I suppose we still are. We talk, but… we're not as close as we used to be. Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about with you and Hermione?" The invitation didn't seem genuine in the least. In fact, it almost seemed threatening.

Draco searched his eyes and just shook his head. "I'm sure. Besides, witches aren't really my thing." Without waiting for a round of questioning, Draco turned his heel and walked out of the break room, heading back towards his office, satisfied he had the last word.

However, it wasn't enough satisfaction for him. Why had Harry done a one-eighty and changed his personality in almost a split second? He had been so easy-going moments ago and had only started acting differently when Draco had brought up Hermione. Obviously something was going on and he could only hope it wasn't what he thought it was.


End file.
